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neously formed in water, foam films are formed in the air.
Thin foam films are composed of a water layer sandwiched
between two layers of amphiphiles that direct their hydrophobic moieties outwards.[4, 5]
The first historical observation of thin foam films was
probably made by Hooke as early as 1672. He reported the
films as “holes in soap bubbles”, as some parts of the colored
bubbles turned black upon draining the water.[6] When
interstitial water drains away, the foam film becomes much
thinner than the wavelength of visible light and thus appears
black as a result of the diminished reflection intensity.[7–9]
Such films are named Black Films, and it is possible for the
thickness of the water layer to be less than a few nanometers.
B.lorgey and Benattar have reported that the thinnest film of
ionic surfactant has only three hydration water molecules per
counterion.[10] Thin foam films are usually formed in open
frames placed in a sealed cell that is filled with saturated
vapor, and the films are stable as long as water exists in the
interstitial space.[11–14] However, they are so transient in
ambient air that the interstitial water molecules have long
been deemed to be indispensable to maintain the structure.[15]
Herein, we report for the first time that some kinds of foam
films exist even after being dried in ambient air. As illustrated
in Figure 1, the dried foam films are formed by slowly
Dried Foam Films
Dried Foam Films: Self-Standing, Water-Free,
Reversed Bilayers of Amphiphilic Compounds**
Jian Jin, Jianguo Huang, and Izumi Ichinose*
Foam films and lipid membranes are typical two-dimensional
assemblies of amphiphiles with an inverse molecular arrangement.[1–3] In contrast to lipid membranes, which are sponta-
[*] Dr. J. Jin, Dr. J. Huang, Dr. I. Ichinose
Advanced Materials Laboratory
National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)
1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0044 (Japan)
Fax: (+ 81) 29-852-7449
E-mail: ichinose.izumi@nims.go.jp
[**] The authors acknowledge M.-P. Pileni and F. Papadimitrakopoulos
for helpful discussions on the structural stability of dried foam
films.
Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW
under http://www.angewandte.org or from the author.
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2005 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
Figure 1. The formation of dried foam films; amphiphilic compounds
in solution are illustrated in the monomeric dispersion in conditions
below the critical micelle concentration (CMC).
evaporating the solution of amphiphilic compounds in the
holes of substrates. The amphiphilic compounds spontaneously organize into a head-to-head arrangement with their
hydrocarbon chains directed towards the air, and give selfstanding reversed bilayers. The films form on porous substrates with micron to submicron pores and are stable under
ultrahigh vacuum and at temperatures greater than 100 8C.
A small amount of an 8.2 mm aqueous solution of
dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB, Figure 2 A)
was retained in the holes of the porous substrate by the
vertical lifting method. Initially, a perforated polymer membrane on a 150-mesh microgrid (Figure 2 B) was used as the
substrate. The holes of a few micrometers in the polymer
membrane are slightly hydrophobic and are therefore suitable
for capturing small droplets of DTAB solution. The substrate
was then allowed to stand for one hour in air at a humidity of
between 40 and 50 %. The dried foam films obtained were too
DOI: 10.1002/ange.200500036
Angew. Chem. 2005, 117, 4608 –4611
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Chemie
sides of the film was calculated to be about 4.0 nm from the
deposition parameters. Therefore, the net thickness of the
DTAB film is 2.5 nm, which means that the film probably has
a bilayer structure, as the molecular length of DTAB is
1.6 nm.
Many different types of amphiphilic compounds were
employed for the preparation of dried foam films. For
example, double-chain-type didodecyldimethylammonium
bromide (DDAB), zwitterionic dodecylphosphocholine (DPC), nonionic polyoxyethylene dodecyl ether (Brij-35),
natural egg lecithin, and two alkylsilane compounds—octadecyltrimethoxysilane (C18-Si) and octadecyldimethyl(3-trimethoxysilylpropyl) ammonium chloride (C18-N-Si)—were
examined. Their dried foam films are shown in Figure 3.
DDAB, D-PC, C18-Si, and C18-N-Si gave uniform films on
2000-mesh copper grids. The C18-Si film was prepared from
ethanol solution (8.2 mm) because of its low solubility in
water. This means that water is not indispensable for the
formation of dried foam films. Interestingly, the C18-N-Si film
was stable enough to withstand a focused electron beam
without Pt coating. This stabilization is probably caused by
the hydrolysis of methoxysilane groups and the subsequent
formation of a siloxane network.
Figure 2. A) Molecular structure of DTAB; B) TEM image of a perforated polymer membrane on a 150-mesh microgrid; C) TEM image of
DTAB films formed on the holes of the polymer membrane; D) confocal micrograph of DTAB films formed on a 2000-mesh copper grid;
E) FE-SEM image of DTAB films formed on a 2000-mesh copper grid;
F) cross-sectional FE-SEM image of DTAB films formed on a 2000mesh copper grid; G) high-magnification of image in part F).
weak for the focused electron beam of a transmission electron
microscope (TEM). However, this problem was successfully
solved by coating the specimens with a thin layer of Pt
nanoparticles by using a mild ion-sputter. As shown in
Figure 2 C, DTAB films uniformly cover the holes of the
polymer membrane except for a few broken parts; the
covered areas are dark because of the presence of the thin
Pt layer. The films are extremely smooth and flat without any
cracks. We then examined a 2000-mesh copper grid with 7-mm
cells. Confocal microscopy, which has a detection limit close
to 10 nm, is not useful for the observation of DTAB films
owing to their thickness (Figure 2 D). However, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) gave a clear
image of the films covering the holes of the copper grid
(Figure 2 E). Fully covered cells are easily distinguished from
the cell; a black broken part is marked with an arrow. This
sample was carefully torn and used for cross-sectional
observation. As shown in Figure 2 F, the film is flexible and
prone to be warped by the electron beam when isolated from
the wall of the copper grid. The film is transparent, which
indicates that the film is thinner than the mean free-path of
secondary electrons ( 5 nm) in the SEM observation. By
scrutinizing the edge of the film, the thickness was estimated
to be 6.5 1.0 nm. The total thickness of Pt layers on both
Angew. Chem. 2005, 117, 4608 –4611
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Figure 3. TEM images of the dried foam films of A) DDAB, B) D-PC,
C) C18-Si, and D) C18-N-Si prepared on 2000-mesh copper grids;
E) lecithin and F) Brij-35 films prepared on the holes of perforated
polymer membranes. All films except C18-Si were prepared from aqueous solutions (8.2 mm) of the corresponding amphiphilic compounds.
2005 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
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The lecithin and Brij-35 films are very different from the
others. As shown in Figure 3 E, many circular pores are
observed for the lecithin film. It is known that this compound
spontaneously forms vesicular assemblies known as liposomes, and such a structure might be reflected in the circular
pores of the dried foam film. The film made of Brij-35 appears
to be a torn plastic film (Figure 3 F). Natural lipids and
nonionic surfactants have been extensively studied by many
researchers,[16–19] who have reported that stable and densely
packed foam films are readily formed because of the weak
electrostatic repulsion between the two monolayers.[17, 18]
However, these liquid foam films are subject to serious
morphology changes after evaporation of the water layer.
In previous studies, the amount of interstitial water has
been estimated by transmission FTIR spectroscopy[20, 21] as the
water layer gives a strong absorption peak in the range from
3200 to 3600 cm 1. The sensitivity of FTIR measurements is
very high, and it is possible to detect a water layer not less
than 0.2 nm thick.[18] To confirm the disappearance of water
from the dried foam films, we recorded FTIR measurements.
As shown in Figure 4, the characteristic peaks of water are not
Figure 4. Transmission FTIR spectra of the dried foam films of
A) DTAB, B) DDAB, C) D-PC, D) C18-Si, and E) C18-N-Si on porous
alumina membranes.
detected at all. It is clear that all the dried foam films have no
liquid water and, moreover, no fluidic properties of liquids.
Being skeptics, we assumed that a trace amount of water of
crystallization should remain in the films. However, we could
not find any evidence for the existence of this water. For
example, DTAB, which has a trimethylammonium group and
a bromide ion in its hydrophilic moiety, cannot strongly bind
water molecules by hydrogen bonding, coordination bonding
etc. Furthermore, TEM and FE-SEM observations were
conducted under high vacuum conditions (lower than 1 B
10 6 torr). In these cases, all the interstitial water should
have completely evaporated. What is to be emphasized is the
structural stability of the dried foam films. The existence of
water or a hydration layer is not necessarily essential to
maintain the self-standing reversed bilayer structure.
What is the role of alkyl chains in the structural stabilization of the reversed bilayer structure? In the crystalline state
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2005 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
DTAB has an interdigitated bilayer structure. As the crosssection of the alkyl chain is smaller than that of the
trimethylammonium group, this amphiphilic compound
acquires stable molecular packing by inserting its alkyl
chains from both sides of the bilayer. However, the reversed
bilayer structure does not allow such interdigitation. If the
alkyl chains in an all-trans conformation are closely packed in
the reversed bilayer, they need to be highly tilted. However,
such a molecular arrangement necessarily leads to many
defects. We estimated the degree of conformational disorder
of the alkyl chains from the FTIR spectra. Alkyl chains that
have an all-trans conformation in the crystalline state give
CH2 stretching vibration bands near 2918 (nas) and 2848 cm 1
(ns). These bands are known to shift up to near 2927 (nas) and
2856 cm 1 (ns), respectively, when conformational disorder is
induced in the alkyl chains.[22] The dried foam films of DTAB
give absorption peaks at 2924.7 (nas) and 2855.3 cm 1 (ns).
These peaks are significantly shifted to higher wavenumbers
from the bands of ordered alkyl chains, thereby indicating
that the alkyl chains in the DTAB film are very disordered at
room temperature. Similar large shifts to higher wavenumbers were observed for all the dried foam films derived from
charged amphiphilic compounds (see the Supporting Information), meaning that the alkyl chains in the films are never
closely packed. We have shown that dried foam films are selfstanding and that if the alkyl chains are disordered, the
hydrophilic moieties have to contribute to the structural
stabilization. As observed in the crystallographic analysis of
CTAB, the trimethylammonium groups and bromide ions
form into two-dimensional ionic sheets.[23] Such a structure
might be what makes it possible to keep the film in
suspension. The importance of hydrophilic moieties was
supported by the following phenomenological facts: C18-NSi gives films that are very stable against a focused electron
beam, and zwitterionic D-PC forms uniform dried foam films.
In contrast, nonionic Brij-35 and related surfactants give
highly tattered films.
The thermal stability of dried foam films was analyzed
statistically by monitoring the change of the surface coverage
on a 150-mesh microgrid with increasing temperature. As
shown in Figure 5, the coverage of DTAB films lies in a range
from 93 to 98 % from room temperature to 150 8C. However,
the coverage drastically decreases to 10 % when the grid is
heated at 160 8C. That this change occurs at a temperature
well above the boiling point of water strongly indicates that
no water is present in the dried foam films. A bulk crystal of
DTAB, in which the alkyl chains have an interdigitated
structure, has a melting point of 246 8C. The dried foam films
that have loosely packed alkyl chains show a transition
temperature about 90 8C lower than this melting point. These
temperatures are considerably higher than the phase transition temperatures of biolipids as the head-groups of
biolipids are fully hydrated and their phase transition is
generally caused by the disordering of the alkyl chains. What
is important is that the coverage in Figure 5 declines sharply.
This means that the dried foam films have high molecular
cooperativity: if the alkyl chains are disordered, the hydrophilic moieties have to be in the crystalline state. This is
probably the reason why the films have high thermal stability.
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Angew. Chem. 2005, 117, 4608 –4611
Angewandte
Chemie
SEM images were obtained with a Hitachi S-4800. The cross-sectional
specimen was prepared by carefully tearing a 2000-mesh copper grid
covered with dried foam films, followed by Pt coating in a vertical
sample holder. FTIR spectra were obtained with a Bio-Rad Win-IR
spectrometer. The sample was set in a chamber filled with dried
nitrogen gas. Confocal laser microscopy images were obtained with an
instrument from Lasertec (VL2000D). The coverage of dried foam
films was calculated by counting the films remaining after heating for
15 min at a given temperature. The number of holes examined was
higher than 600.
Received: January 5, 2005
Revised: May 6, 2005
Published online: June 24, 2005
.
Keywords: amphiphiles · foams · self-assembly · thin films
Figure 5. Temperature dependence of the coverage of DTAB and DTAC
films.
The coverage of DTAC, which has a chloride ion as the
counteranion of a trimethylammonium group, decreases
greatly at a temperature about 40 8C lower than that of
DTAB, thus showing that the thermal stability is very
sensitive to the size of the counterion.[24]
Foam films have been known for more than three
centuries and water has always been thought to be an
essential component. However, we have found that water is
not always indispensable on the micrometer scale as dried
foam films are quite stable in the air, under vacuum, and even
at high temperature.[25] These findings have immense potential for the design of nanoscale architectures. In fact, we have
made it possible to combine a wet process for film formation
and a dry process for metal coating. It is also possible to form
free-standing films composed of metal oxides and polymers.
These artificially organized thin films will contribute widely to
various fields of chemistry.
Experimental Section
Materials. The 150-mesh microgrid and 2000-mesh copper grid were
purchased from Oken, Japan. The former grid has a perforated
polymer membrane, with the surface of the polymer membrane
coated with thin glassy carbon to reinforce the pores of a few
micrometers. The latter grid is made of pure copper and has regularly
arranged square holes of 7 mm at an interval of 2000 per inch. The
porous alumina membrane (Anodisc-25) with a pore size of 0.2 mm
was purchased from Whatman and used as the substrate for FTIR
measurements.
Pt Coating. TEM and FE-SEM specimens were often coated with
a 2-nm-thick platinum layer by using a Hitachi E-1030 ion sputter.
The coating was performed with a current density of 10 mA at room
temperature under an argon pressure of 10 Pa or lower. The thickness
was calibrated by using the quartz crystal microbalance technique.
Under our experimental conditions, platinum nanoparticles of about
0.8 nm were uniformly deposited on the surfaces of any kind of dried
foam film. The deposition did not have any effect on the film
morphology. However, deposition of more than 10 nm of platinum
was prone to disrupt the films, probably resulting from the high
surface tension of the platinum layer.
Characterizations. TEM observations were made with a JEM1010 (JEOL) instrument at an acceleration voltage of 100 kV. FEAngew. Chem. 2005, 117, 4608 –4611
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[24] The thermal stability of dried foam films is sensitive to the
molecular structure of amphiphilic compounds, too. The dried
foam films of D-PC and C18-N-Si disappeared near 160 and
180 8C, respectively. The higher thermal stability of the latter
film must be because of the covalent bonding between the
hydrophilic groups.
[25] We also found that C18-Si gave very stable films from the
ethanol solution. Formation of dried foam films may not,
therefore, be restricted to a dehydration mechanism. The
molecular design of amphiphilic compounds will provide new
types of self-standing films.
2005 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
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